Small acts of random heroism

I was rather taken with a piece Cam wrote after the recent bridge collapse in Minnesota, and the small acts of random heroism some were inspired to do. And which should be an inspiration to us.

As he says...

"What is that motivation? Where does it come from? And how can we become so brave and caring? If we can figure that out, maybe we won't be tempted to rely on corrupt sports figures or politicians to be our role models. Instead, we can look to true heroes who toil in obscurity every single day, doing the little things that usually go unnoticed, but whose character and service to others shines brightly when tragedy strikes. This heroism does not happen by accident. Although each moment in our lives is an opportunity to make the right choice, even if our past is littered with bad ones, heroism in this form is the usually result of a cultivated dedication to serving others...If we wait until a tragedy occurs before we decide to take notice of the things people do to make the lives of others better, we'll not nurture the seeds that give rise to the growth of such qualities. How can you cultivate the character that engenders heroism?"

Reminded me of similar things happening over here during July's flooding. One story that particularly struck me (in part, I must admit, for its faint comedic value) was the guy who tried to drive his 4x4, nearly fully submerged, under a flooded railway bridge, only to hit a previously abandoned car. Lots of people watched on; one dived in to help. I would copy the pictures over, but fear that NI are the kind of company that ends up suing bloggers!

Now I'm not necessarily sure how well this all sits with the idea of this blog. Arguably such heroism is a very big thing for the people doing it. At the same time though, and in the grand scene of 'disasters', with all the really big stuff that goes on, we ARE just talking ordinary people like you and I, doing singular, relatively small things which may not change the world, but do change the world of the person on the receiving end.

And I'm with Cam, how do we cultivate character that engenders such heroism. Or even helpfulness - that would be a start!

Comments

[Cam Beck]

Thank you so much for the endorsement of that article. Because you reached out, I was fortunate to have found this blog. I love the theme and am now a subscriber. :)

[jon howard (Living Brands)]

Thanks Cam. Glad to have you on board. Hope it works for you.

Spread the word…and bring the stories and ideas in!